The 2019 Climate Strike, Auckland
The 2019 Climate Strike, Auckland

PoliticsSeptember 27, 2019

Tens of thousands throng for #climatestrike NZ – here’s what happened

The 2019 Climate Strike, Auckland
The 2019 Climate Strike, Auckland

Organisers estimate that 170,000 New Zealanders have joined the strike for the climate around the country. Here’s what went down.

More than 40 #climatestrike events took place this afternoon around New Zealand, as part of a global movement calling for urgent action on the climate crisis.

The core of the strike was school students, but many others joined them, with about 100 businesses supporting and joining the marches and rallies.

At parliament, an open letter signed by more than 11,000 people was presented, calling among other things for a national climate emergency to be declared.

The New Zealand organisers reckoned as many as 170,000 people took part.

Here’s a quick survey of some of the activity.

Wellington!

The Spinoff’s Alex Braae joined the crowds at Civic Square under the supervision of the Visible Hand.

In his first dispatch on Twitter he said: “Entire civic square full. Everywhere around it also full … Numbers for #ClimateStrike in Wellington are going to be enormous.” That was quickly followed by an apology: “Sorry will just update that to very very enormous.” And: “Sure are a lot of people here who want the future to be less shit.”

It’s important to stress that estimating crowd sizes tends to be a very inexact science, but there have been reports of around 40,000 on the march in Wellington.

The strikers marched from Civic Square to parliament, where politicians addressed them.

Auckland!

Estimates were as high as 80,000 in New Zealand’s biggest city.

Christchurch!

https://twitter.com/JooBilly/status/1177400306587619328

Dunedin!

Hamilton!

https://twitter.com/WintecNZ/status/1177396561162063874

New Plymouth!

Napier!

Whakatāne!

https://twitter.com/vanimmink/status/1177409177620103168

Palmy!

Nelson!

 Tauranga!

Thames!

Judith Collins!

Keep going!